Getting it right

Dan Mokonyane

Dan Mokonyane

In an interview on October 10 last year about the Alexandra Township bus boycott, Azikwelwa, Sowetan was incorrectly informed that one of the pioneers, Dan Mokonyane, had passed on, but he is alive and living in London.

This is his response to the article: "As publicity secretary and later secretary of the committee, I was one of the leaders of the boycott. I introduced (Arthur) Magerman and (Simon) Noge to the committee.

"Support came from many places. Suggestions for ending the boycott were put to the people at mass meetings and rejected until our final acceptance of a fare backed by a government subsidy.

"Azikwelwa was not part of the 1952 Defiance Campaign and was not led by the ANC. The people rejected the ANC recommendation for a compromise solution.

"Noge forgot the ANC potato boycott began before Azikwelwa and continued afterwards.

"The police were very busy but Koalepe was mistaken: only one person died - in jail.

"Azikwelwa was one of the few successful anti-government campaigns because we listened to people: we stood together and won."